I’m going to have a very short minute to gather myself then head over to England vs Ireland. Please join me if you can recover in time.
Lamaro roars at the camera, Negri has hot tears of joy and relief rolling down his face as he takes a knee to pray, young Menoncello is blubbering.
Wonderful vignettes are everywhere as this brilliant victory sinks in.
What a game, what a win.
ITALY WIN IN ROME!
80+3 mins. 25 phases and a knock-on ends the match!
80+1 mins. Up to the Italy 10 metre line and 18 phases of possession. It’s breathless, nervous, terrifying stuff for the the home crowd..
80 mins. Still around halfway, Scotland are out of drop goal range. It’s all about discipline for the Italian defence…
79 mins. Scotland are trying to run it from their own 22. They’re not getting very far before Russell creams a cross-kick to Steyn who gathers to bring them up to halfway.
TRY! Italy 31 - 29 Scotland (Sam Skinner)
77 mins. Scotland catch and maul a lineout before releasing it to Redpath who drives up to the line. Two phases later Sam Skinner drives over the line.
Russell converts.
Strap yourselves in for an emotional few minutes…
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76 mins. In the midst of that attack the TMO spotted a deliberate knock-on from Ruzza. It looks very obviously a penalty, but there is a question of whether it denied a scoring opportunity. There is clear cover, so penalty only.
74 mins. Scottish possession in the Italy half and the blue defence are scarambling for their lives. They know the longer they can frustrate the visitors the less time there is for them to score enough to win and it shows in the amazing effort.
PENALTY! Italy 31 - 22 Scotland (Paolo Garbisi)
72 mins. He strokes it over with little fuss. Scotland are now in the territory of needing at least two scores. Incredible.
71 mins. Scotland are in their own half and are caught offside for being in front of the kicker from Price’s box kick. That’s an awful penalty to give away, as daft as it is potentially damaging because Garbisi has called for the tee.
69 mins. The true price to be paid for a poor lineout is realised as Scotland go to van der Merwe on first phase from the scrum and he flies forty metres upfield. He has support from Ali Pricebut in the end van der Merwe neither puts his head down nor passes and makes a bit of a mess of it.
66 mins. Some quiet moments while a scrum completes with with an Italy penalty, a great win that is ruined by a squint throw at the resulting lineout. Gah!
63 mins. A bit more energy from Scotland on the first phase from the scrum won around halfway. Kinghorn joins the line and is hit so hard by Menoncello the ball pops out to bring more frustrations to Gregor Townsend looking on.
61 mins. Italy do a decent containing job on Scotland’s next possession, and it has to be said the visitors look a little punch-drunk presently as their second-half woes once more descend among them like a malevolent spirit.
TRY! Italy 28 - 22 Scotland (Stephen Varney)
58 mins. Varney has added some zip from the base of the ruck and this allows Italy to move the ball left to Vintcent who steps inside and races up into the 22 before he’s haled to a stop by Kinghorn. But it’s only a temporary reprieve as the Azzurri hammer the line from the recycled possession, coming left once more for the new scrum-half to grab a deserved score from short metres.
Garbisi converts it, and just like that, Scotland are very nervous!
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54 mins. The noise from the Stadio Olimpico crowd turns to a collective groan as their team fumble the ball on the 22. The ball is cleared and the first short phase of kicking sets in as both sides probe with the boot.
51 mins. Italy also have a new front row on, and their first action to win a scrum penalty for Scotland collapsing. The Azzuri with the lineout this time and they are on the ball in the 22.
49 mins. Scotland’s discipline is slipping, with penalties in quick succession from the restart and then for Cummings messing with Ruzza at the lineout.
Luckily for the visitors, Italy can’t capitalise and overthrow the next lineout to lose possession.
Stephen Varney is on for Page-Relo. Puzzling one that, as he’s been at the heart of everything good about Italy.
TRY! Italy 21 - 22 Scotland (Louis Lynagh)
43 mins. Garbisi receives the ball on the blind side and executes a rudimentary chip over the top that Lynagh chases gathers to runs over for a debut try! His team mates swarm him in joy – a lovely moment.
Garbisi bounces the ball back of the posts AGAIN to miss the conversion.
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42 mins. A few bumpy runs from Italy give Page-Relo the platform to boot it clear and Scotland start the second half in the same way of the first, busy in possession an active in the phases. Huw Jones chucks a dummy to move through the defence and feed the supporting Horne to race in under the posts.
It looks to be the perfect start but the TMO spots that Schoeman took Vintcent out in the build up. NO TRY!
SECOND HALF!
Finn Russell restarts the match
A thoroughly enjoyable half of rugby comes to and end with Scotland quite rightly ahead given their performance.
Italy have done very little wrong of their own making and this is their best half of the Championship so far, they’ve simply been edged by a strong showing from the visitors. For Italy to have a chance to win they will have to restrict Scotland to no more than one more try, and that doesn’t seem likely.
HALF TIME! Italy 16 - 22 Scotland
40+2 mins. A late penalty for Scotland is hoofed to touch by Russell for a lineout in the Italy half. The ball is won, but it comes to nothing but a knock-on which Garbisi gathers and – deciding that’s quite enough for this half – boots it off the field.
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40 mins. Lynagh is close to breaking free as he chases his own hacked kick into the 22, but it bounces to Capuozzo who is gripped by van der Merwe who holds him in up an a giant blonde bearhug to halt the progress.
PENALTY! Italy 16 - 22 Scotland (Martin Page-Relo)
38 mins. The worrying trend of Scotland giving away breakdown penalties continues. This one is forty metres out, but Lamaro wants it kicking, which Page-Relo duly does.
37 mins. Italy look to be growing in confidence as they work the ball left and right through phases in the Scotland half with Menoncello again prominent. The ball breaks loose due to some clumsy handling and Christie clasps it and sets off like a rocket 50 metres back up the field before Brex chases him down and then wins a penalty to clear.
Breathless stuff.
PENALTY! Italy 13 - 22 Scotland (Paolo Garbisi)
34 mins. A Scotland defender is caught lying on the wrong side as Italy head into the opposition half. Garbisi points to the posts and adds three points.
31 mins. Brex toes the ball into touch around the Scotland 22 and the visitors do the necessary to exit. But Italy will come back at them via a lineout of their own.
TRY! Italy 10 - 22 Scotland (Pierre Schoeman)
28 mins. The traditional Italy frustration sets in as Page-Relo is caught in two minds on who to pass to after some promising carries from the forwards. When he finally decides he flings it to Andy Christie who had all the time in the world to amble into the Italian line and snaffle the interception.
Russell drills a glorious 50-22 into the corner and a catch and drive is finished by Schoeman.
Conversion is missed, Finn Russell’s first unsuccessful kick of the championship.
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PENALTY! Italy 10 - 17 Scotland (Finn Russell)
24 mins. Fischetti is pinged for a tackle off the ball in front of the posts, and Russell decides it’s points taking o’clock.
21 mins. A massive counter-ruck from the Scottish forwards robs Italy of possession in their own half, but Scotland struggle to make much of it before Italy infringe to give the visitors a lineout on the 22.
18 mins. First bit of lumpy play from Scotland as they get trapped in the middle third and very nearly cause themselves a mischief when Menoncello is this close to grabbing a turnover. There was open pasture between him and line, but he fumbled it forward.
TRY! Italy 10 - 14 Scotland (Juan Ignacio Brex)
14 mins. Italy go to front the jumper in a lineout midway in the Scotland half. The ball is run at the line by Page-Relo and he puts in a delicious, defence troubling chip over the top which Brex reaches first with a dive to score.
Garbisi manages to keep the ball on the tee to convert.
Not a game you can look away from for long, this one.
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TRY! Italy 3 - 14 Scotland (Kyle Steyn)
11 mins. All Italy can do at the minute is kick the ball away and invite another attack from an effervescent Scotland. Another carry fron van der Merwe sets up a platform in the 22 for the ball to be moved right to Steyn to step and score from five metres.
Russell adds two.
Scotland are absolutely rapid so far.
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9 mins. Scotland have possession again, this time from a lineout and they again look crisp, organised and full of pace. They are in the 22 for another visit but the ball goes to ground.
TRY! Italy 3 - 7 Scotland (Zander Fagerson)
5 mins. A largely organised bonkers period of play as Scotland work a total of 18 phases, dropping the ball at least three times with each being called backwards by the ref. They simply keep chucking it about, with Horne fizzing the ball from the ruck and refuse to let the attack die.
As soon the 22 is breached the powerful carries come and the Italy defence can scramble and withstand no more as Fagerson forces over,
Russell converts.
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PENALTY! Italy 3 - 0 Scotland (Paolo Garbisi)
1 min. Andy Christie is caught in possession on the floor from the first carry of the ganme, Menoncello the man clamping on to win a penalty.
Garbisi tees it up and IT FALLS OF THE TEE AGAIN! He quickly repositions the ball and calmly slots it with seconds to spare on the shot clock.
I imagine he’s terrible at lego.
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Kick Off!
Angus Gardner blasts his whistle and Paolo Garbisi boots us into action
The weather has cleared up after a wet start in Rome so the teams emerge from the tunnel to a reasonable afternoon. It will be interesting to see if it’s OK underfoot when the game gets under way. By the way, the 2025 Six Nations fixtures have been announced, with England going to Dublin on the first weekend.
England will open their 2025 Six Nations campaign by tackling Ireland in Dublin. The competition begins on the evening of Friday 31 January with France facing Wales in Paris, while England play the following day, when Scotland take on Italy at Murrayfield.
England then host France, Scotland and Italy, before meeting Wales in Cardiff on the competition's final day.
Ireland's run of fixtures, meanwhile, sees them travel to Scotland and Wales after the England match, then France visit Dublin before a finale against Italy in Rome.
2025 Six Nations fixtures (kick-off times GMT)
31 Jan France v Wales (8.15pm)
1 Feb Scotland v Italy (2.15pm), Ireland v England (4.45pm)
8 Feb Italy v Wales (2.15pm), England v France (4.45pm)
9 Feb Scotland v Ireland (3pm)
22 Feb Wales v Ireland (2.15pm), England v Scotland (4.45pm)
23 Feb Italy v France (3pm)
8 Mar Ireland v France (2.15pm), Scotland v Wales (4.45pm)
9 Mar England v Italy (3pm)
15 Mar Italy v Ireland (2.15pm), Wales v England (4.45pm), France v Scotland (8pm)
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Pre-Match reading.
Give me all your thoughts on the match, plus opinions on whether you can use bread flour to make cakes on Email or @bloodandmud.
I’m only half joking with the cake thing.
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Teams
Italy finally make an international player of Louis Lynagh, after the Quin wing finally threw his cap in with the country of his birth. He debuts in a back three with Montanna Ioane and Ange Capuozzo.
Cam Redpath starts for Scotland due to the tournament ending injury for Sione Tuipulotu, there’s also a rare start for George Horne at scrum-half and a starting cap for Saracens flanker, Andy Christie.
Italy: Ange Capuozzo; Louis Lynagh, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Montanna Ioane; Paolo Garbisi, Martin Page-Relo; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Ross Vintcent.
Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Mirco Spagnolo, Giosue Zilocchi, Andrea Zambonin, Lorenzo Cannone, Stephen Varney, Leonardo Marin, Federico Mori
Scotland: Blair Kinghorn, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Cameron Redpath, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell (co-capt), George Horne; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Andy Christie, Rory Darge (co-capt), Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Alec Hepburn, Elliot Millar-Mills, Sam Skinner, Jamie Ritchie, Matt Fagerson, Ali Price, Kyle Rowe.
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Preamble
A lire for Italy’s thoughts this past fortnight after the ball kissing off the wrong quadrant of a post that became the mighty club, bludgeoning hope of victory from their collective crania v France. Barely have they lashed themselves back together and their reward is to welcome a Scotland set on pressing Ireland to the very end.
The Azzuri remain the most baffling and infuriating team of 2024. Near victors against France, they also somehow pushed England close to the brink in round one. But all the while playing a game that is a combination of dynamism, poor decision making, hands like feet, an occasional monster scrum, an neverending collection of diffident 9s, and a kicking game more inexplicable than Marjorie Taylor Greene. To punctuate your befuddlement further, despite their draw in Lille they are bottom of the table below a Wales team that has lost all three of their matches. I’ve given up trying to make sense of them, to be honest.
Leaving aside their inability to beat France, Scotland are far more sensible – and as their eventually comfortable with over England demonstrated, they appear to be forming into that which we all hoped: the best team that doesn’t play in green. They should win today, and by a lots more that a quadrant of a rugby post.
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